7 Gaels first team all-district

Mericle offensive player of year

November 10, 2012

The St. Edmond football team placed seven players on the Class 1A, District 2 all-district teams, along with claiming Offensive, Kicker and Punter of the Year honors.

Alex Mericle, who set new single-season school records for yards, attempts and touchdowns, along with becoming the all-time leader in TDs, was Offensive Player of the Year.

Mericle finished his senior season with 1,791 yards on 289 carries, placing him third on the all-time rushing charts.

"We knew Alex was a very capable running back after being the fullback in front of Neil Flattery his junior year," SEHS head coach Dick Tighe said. "But he really matured physically from last year to this year and that made him an even more powerful back. Plus, he had more speed than I think most people thought he had - more than I thought he had, that's for sure."

Joining Mericle on the first team offense were seniors David Flattery and Jacob Salisbury, along with sophomore Landon Peed.

Seniors Matt Stumpf, Teddie Harvey and junior Vinnie Harvey were first team defensive selections, while Aaron McElroy picked up Kicker of the Year honors and Flattery was the Punter of the Year.

"To get three of the four individual honors was a really nice accomplishment," Tighe said. "These (all-district meetings) are tricky sometimes because you have to know where to nominate your players so they have the best chance to be selected. I thought we got everyone where they deserved to be."

McElroy and Dillon Nelson were second team selections, while Hank Lentsch and Matt Remsburg picked up honorable mention honors.

Flattery passed for 599 yards this year and finished third in school history with 19 passing touchdowns. He also averaged 46.4 yards per punt - tops in the entire state among players with more than 10 attempts.

Peed was second in the district in receiving yards with 446 on 18 catches, while also topping the league with five interceptions.

"Landon really had a great season as just a sophomore," Tighe said. "We have high hopes for him going forward."

Teddie Harvey finished second in tackles with 184, including 19 combined stops for loss. Vinnie Harvey had 631 yards rushing and 87 tackles.

Stumpf had three picks and 292 yards rushing for the Gaels.

"Teddie and Vinnie were really strong defensive players for us, and Vinnie will probably be more of a featured back on offense (next year)," Tighe said. "Matt was another versatile two-way player for us.

"All of these seniors are going to be greatly missed, as they were excellent members of our football program."

St. Edmond won 18 games over the last two years, including three playoff contests.